Coronation Street fans in tears and say legend 'deserved better' as they make swift exit

Coronation Street fans were left shocked after a legendary character made a swift exit on Wednesday night nearly 40 years after her debut. Sally Ann Matthews first appeared as Jenny Bradley, now known as Jenny Connor, in January 1986 and remained with the soap until the early 1990s but made a permanent comeback over a decade ago.

In scenes that aired midweek on the world's longest-running TV soap, it became apparent that the character, who was introduced as a foster daughter for Rita Tanner (Barbara Knox) several years ago, had left Weatherfield for the last time in a manner that had some fans 'in tears' but left some cold.

Jenny had seemingly developed a crush on George Shuttleworth (Tony Maudsley) in recent weeks, but he has been tied up with Chistina Boyd (Amy Robbins), her rival. Jenny, who previously ran the Rovers with stepdaughter Daisy Midgeley (Charlotte Jordan), was surprised when Rita handed her an envelope stuffed with cash by her colleague. Rita had decided to send Jenny and George out on a date to sort things out.

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Earlier that morning, George had called at The Kabin with some soup and Jenny misled him into thinking that Rita was seriously ill. When he found out the truth later on, he was not impressed and neither was Rita, which prompted Jenny to have to reveal some home truths. She admitted to her former foster mother that she wasn't entirely satisfied in life since losing the Rovers and had actually just enjoyed the attention that George gave him.

"I like him and I wish that I really did want him, but I know what I'm like. I'll get bored and try to change him into something more exciting. Christina doesn't deserve him." Furious, Rita hit back: "That's not a good reason to try and snare him, and I still think you should apologise for the way you've behaved. And not just to George!"

Jenny was the latest in a long list of legendary characters to be handed the keys to the nation's most famous pub, following on from the likes of Annie Walker (Doris Speed), Bet Lynch (Julie Goodyear) and Liz McDonald (Beverley Callard) but it all went wrong when Christina and Daisy were part of a complicated scam that saw her lose thousands and have to give it up.

Later on, Jenny contemplated: "If this was my last year on earth, what would I do? I can only think of what I wouldn't do. You know when you've been happy somewhere? I had a job in the Rovers when I first lived round here. Bet Lynch, well Bet Gilroy as she was then, gave it to me. I'd watch her swanning around, Queen Bee, in this world that was all hers and I never imagined one day it would be me or that I'd feel like I really belonged there. I've still got the name plate."

Jenny enjoyed one last showdown with Christina and told her that she was 'rude and selfish,' before Rita presented her with a one-way ticket to Tenerife. Rita suggested that they have one last drink at the Rovers, and Jenny couldn't quite face it so they had a tearful goodbye outside the pub. Rita went in to enjoy a drink with Brian Packham, and, in the end, Jenny popped her head through the door, played Total Eclipse of the Heart on the jukebox and Rita silently, but tearfully, raised a glass to her. Once she had left for the final time, Jenny dumped her licensee plate in the bin and walked away for the final time.

But fans weren't convinced this type of exit was enough for someone who had become such a legend of the Street in her time. One wrote: "That Jenny exit! Literally had to double check I didn't miss something!" whilst another said: "It was such a poor exit jenny deserved better."

A third said: "Was I prepared for Jenny to leave #Corrie? Maybe, but I wasn’t ready for her and Rita to say goodbye. Long live Barbara Knox" and a fourth admitted: "oh my god im tearing up on the train why did jenny have to leave

Jenny was heavily involved in the storyline that saw her father Alan Bradley (Mark Eden) abuse backstreet newsagent Rita, ultimately ending in his demise when he was ran over by a Blackpool tram. During her early years, Jenny memorably ran away to France with Martin Platt (Sean Wilson) for a period of time and once performed a fan-favourite rendition of What I Did For Love from A Chorus Line in the pub.

Following this, she had an ill-fated affair with married man Robert Weston (Philip Bretherton), and she left the street after they split in 1991. After an absence of more than 20 years, Jenny made a comeback to Weatherfield in 2015 where she struck up a relationship with Kevin Webster (Michael Le Vell), and she became obsessed with the idea of becoming a mother to Kevin's young son Jack.

It was later revealed that during her time away from the Street, Jenny had had a child called Tom with her now-ex husband but he had drowned in a paddling pool as a toddler. At the time, Kevin's daughter Sophie's ( Brooke Vincent) girlfriend Maddie Heath ( Amy James-Kelly ) and was the one who had discovered the truth, but she died in an explosion before she could tell anyone. Jenny later decided to kidnap Jack and try to replace her own son with him, but was eventually sectioned.

Having climbed in to save his wife, Jonny quickly began to suffer from hypothermia and then drowned. Jenny also had a relationship wit Leo Thompkins (Joe Frost) and they were due to elope, but he was killed by Stephen Reid (Todd Boyce), whom she had also had a brief dalliance with.

Coronation Streetairs Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 8pm on ITV1 and ITVX. * Follow Mirror Celebs and TV on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and Threads